The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for enhancing audio playback and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for selecting and displaying images on a display of an audio playback device to enhance audio playback.
Advances in digital electronic technology have led to a rapid growth in portable audio devices. In particular, portable audio devices such as audio CD players, digital audio players, FM/AM radio receivers, televisions, and DVD players have become increasingly popular among consumers as the size and weight of such devices has become small enough for users to easily carry. It is also becoming increasingly common for cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices to incorporate audio playback capabilities so that consumers can use their cellular phones or other wireless devices as portable audio players.
Many portable audio players include a display that is capable of displaying visual content such as images and videos. The display can be used to display visual content relating to audio files being played, such as album art and concert videos. Typically, the user downloads visual content (e.g., images and/or videos) related to the user's audio files, links the visual content with the audio files, and stores the visual content in memory. When an audio file is played, the related visual content can be retrieved from memory and output to the display. Unfortunately, the visual content is limited to what the user has downloaded and stored in memory of the user's device or to what is offered by the audio content provider.